Definition of terabit

The word "terabit" originates from the International System of Units (SI) and is derived from the Greek language. "Tera" comes from the Greek word "tereia", meaning "monster" or "monster of magnitude", and is used to denote a large unit of measurement. "Bit" is a short form for binary digit, a unit of digital information. In computing, a terabit is a unit of digital information or digital storage capacity, equivalent to 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) bits or 1,024 gigabits (1,024,000,000,000). The term was coined in the 1990s as technology advanced and larger storage capacities became necessary. Today, terabits are used to measure the storage capacity of hard drives, solid-state drives, and other digital storage devices.